Heather Dinich picks the CFP field of 12 AND the eight teams on the bubble, then ranks the best of the Group of 5.
In the new 12-team College Football Playoff, one conference can technically get as many as eight teams into the bracket -- an unlikely scenario, but something the rules allow. Georgia coach Kirby Smart told ESPN last month it"would be awesome to get four" teams from the SEC into the field.It's our turn to try to shoot the moon and predict the historic, inaugural 12-team CFP field.
The Bulldogs will earn the top seed as the winner of the SEC and the highest-ranked conference champion. This is based on Georgia also being the selection committee's No. 1 team in its final ranking on Selection Day. According to ESPN Analytics, Georgia has the best chance of any team to reach the SEC title game. What separates the Bulldogs from everyone else, though, is that they are projected to rank in the top three in offense and defense.
The Utes will earn the final first-round bye as the projected winners of the Big 12 and the fourth-highest-ranked conference champion. Utah would be the most glaring change between the committee's final ranking and what the seeding looks like. This prediction has Utah at No. 8 on Selection Day -- behind all of the aforementioned teams and Notre Dame and Ole Miss. But because the Utes are a conference champion, they earn a boost in the seeding.
The Vols will show improvement from a year ago, but they will be stuck on the bubble because of road losses to Oklahoma and Georgia and a possible home loss to Alabama. The biggest question remains in the secondary, which struggled last season and is under construction this year. The gap between the Wildcats and the top of the Big 12 isn't as significant as it looks here. Nine schools have at least a 10% chance to reach the conference title game, according to ESPN Analytics. K-State returns just 47% of its offensive production from last season, according to SP+, which ranks 108th out of 134 FBS teams.
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